Malicious Code Injection in ita-23 Package: Exploiting npm for Token Rewards
Summary
MAL-2025-156938: Malicious code in ita-23 (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The ita-23 package is part of the npm ecosystem and is associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign. This package is designed to facilitate the automatic generation and publishing of derivative packages, which are intended to inflate developer reputation scores for rewards in the tea protocol. However, it has been compromised to include malicious scripts that manipulate package metadata.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability in the ita-23 package originates from its association with a malicious campaign that floods the npm registry with derivative packages. The malicious code modifies the package.json file to remove private flags, alters version numbers, and generates random package names, leading to the pollution of the npm registry. This can result in developers unknowingly using compromised packages, which may lead to further security issues in their applications.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall ita-23If it arrived as a transitive dependency, remove the package that pulled it in, then reinstall.
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Workaround
As a temporary workaround, you can avoid using the ita-23 package and any other packages that are part of the tea.xyz token reward campaign. Monitor your package-lock.json file for any unauthorized changes and remove any suspicious packages immediately.
Conclusion
The ita-23 package has been identified as a malicious package within the npm ecosystem, associated with a campaign that seeks to exploit developer reputation systems. It is crucial for developers to be vigilant and remove any affected packages to maintain the integrity and security of their applications.
See every vulnerability recorded for ita-23 →
FAQ
The ita-23 package is an npm package associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign, designed to automate the publication of derivative packages.
The malicious code can modify your package.json file, remove private flags, and publish unauthorized packages, potentially leading to security vulnerabilities in your application.
If you have installed the ita-23 package, you should uninstall it immediately using 'npm uninstall ita-23' and check your project for any unauthorized changes.
You can use tools like Vulert, which monitors and alerts you in real-time for open-source vulnerabilities using just your package-lock.json file. You can check your application for vulnerabilities without any signup at the Vulert playground.
There are no patches available for the ita-23 package due to its malicious nature. It is recommended to remove it from your project entirely.
